A judge in Barcelona has provisionally shelved the case opened against three agents of the Mossos d'Esquadra who were arrested for their alleged collaboration in the escape of Carles Puigdemont after his reappearance in the Catalan capital on August 8, 2024.
The decision has been adopted by the head of investigating court number 24 of Barcelona, who agrees to the provisional dismissal of the case by not finding, for now, sufficient evidence against those investigated.
The judge does not see the attributed crimes accredited
In her order, the magistrate maintains that it has not been possible to ascertain that the three mossos carried out acts aimed at preventing the arrest and enabling the escape of Puigdemont during that day in Barcelona. She adds furthermore that it has not been duly justified the perpetration of the crimes that were attributed to them.
The agents were under investigation for alleged crimes of omission to prosecute crimes, concealment, and disobedience. With the provisional dismissal, the case remains closed in this judicial phase, awaiting the appearance of new elements that could reopen it.
The investigation focused on the day of August 8
The case dated back to August 8, 2024, when Puigdemont briefly reappeared in Barcelona. That day coincided with the plenary session of the Parlament in which Salvador Illa was invested president of the Generalitat.
The investigation sought to clarify if the three agents had intervened in any way to facilitate the former president evading his arrest and leaving the place. The judge now concludes that this action could not be proven with the solidity required in this phase of the procedure.
The ruling means, for the moment, the closure of the criminal proceedings against the three mossos in this Barcelona court, as the magistrate understands that the evidence gathered does not allow to sustain the crimes that motivated the opening of the case.